Bobbin holder for winding thread on fish flies



April 18, 1950 c. A. ELLIOTT ET AL I 0 5 BOBBIN HOLDER FOR WINDING THREAD ON FISH FLIES Filed Sept. 21, 1948 1N VEN TORS Richard V Pq/mer BY Col/fer A. 10/

A T TOR/YE V Patented Apr. 18, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOBBIN HOLDERFOR WINDING THREAD ON FISH FLIES.

Collier A. Elliott, Pittsburgh, pa, and Richard N. Palmer, Wellesley Hills, Mass.

Application September 21, 1948, Serial'NoL 50,316

5 Claims. (01. 242-'.-140-) through a tubular tip from whence it is wound onthe desired member, means also being provided for applying adesired measure'oi braking action tothe bobbin as it rotates, thus applying tensionto the: line or thread. If it is desired to rather tightly wind the thread around the article,- greater. braking action is applied to the bobbin, and if thethreadis to be Woundrelatively loosely, the brake is: adjusted to. apply only a slight. braking action.

Another'object of the invention is to provide'a bobbin holder of. this character wherein means are: provided for intermittently rewinding short sections or the thread back upon the; bobbin as the: winding operation proceeds.

Without limiting any of the numerous uses to: whichthe device of the present invention may be, put,'.it. may be pointed out that animportantusei of. the. bobbin holder is in connection with the." winding, or tying. ofartificial flies for fishing purposes. This is generally a manual. operation requiring a high'degree of skill and precise. application. of. the. thread to the shank. of the hook.

It canalso be used to form, loops in the ends of" fiylines, in, order tomake. it: easier to, attach the. leaders. It. is also useful in winding split bamboo rQds. and in wrapping guidesonto any typeyof.

fishingiro r.

The-device; of the present invention enables'theuser to tie flies with far greater accuracy than; previousbobbin.holders, the fly has a more meat and finished appearance, and the operation isachieved in aminimum length of. time.

Another object of the invention is the proVi-' sion of a novel bobbin holder comprising, a barreL. assleeve; and a tip forthe thread, all mounted in:

axial. alignment by threaded connecting means and: arranged to be quickly.v taken apart forcleaning-or substitution of parts and reassembled.

This arrangement. is. particularly useful since it permits of quick interchange of bobbins, each carrying different colors and'sizes of thread. It

alsoxpermits interchange of tips of'different sizes and shapes. to cleaned and wax: removed I incase: waxed Easy removal of the tip allows it' 2 threads are used. The tip, being the most fragile element, isalso easily replaced when broken.

Yet a further object of the invention is to providea-devioeof thischaracter having novel brak ing means for applying greater or less tension to" the line or thread, the adjustment being quickly efiected and without the use of tools. Also import'ant is the fact that adjustment may be ac-'- cornplished during the winding operation and without removing the bobbin holder from the hand in which it is held.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel bobbin holder which is compact, light inweight and which is provided witha flat base to" permit the holder to be placed on a flat surface during the winding operation while retaining the-tension on the thread.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 isa front elevation of abobbin holder embodying'the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a' si'de'elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is an exploded view, certain parts being in elevation and others being in section.

The device includes abarrel ll); a sleeve 11, a tip I2 and a bobbin l3 journalled for rotation in thebarrel. The 'barrel is-fornied with a generally rectangular slot l4 extending upwardly from its lowerend and which receives the bobbin" 1 3. Bearing means for the'bobbin' may comprise a pin l5 formed. at one end with a transverse slot I6.

arranged to receive a screw driver or coin and" having aredu'ced threaded-portion I! at its opposite end If the screw driver slot'is used the pin isso proportioned as to length as to be flush with the curved walls of the barrel when in place as shown in Fig. 1. If desired, this slot may be" replaced by a knurled head which extends- Thebobbin I3- is formed with opposed flanges" 23'' and 24, the latter having a knurled outerperiphery as shown at 25. The side wall adjacent the lower end of' the barrel is formed with aeolicave recess 26 which allows a finger or the thumb of the user to contact the knurled surface 25 0f the flange. Ifthe winder is being used by a left hai'ldedperson the bobbin may be reversed in order-to position the knurled edge convenientlyto the user.

The upper'section of the barrel lstaperedasshown at2'l to fit 'the contour of'the hand. This upper section is further provided with along-1:-

3 tudinal, threaded bore 3| which receives the lower threaded shank 32 of sleeve H. The upper end of the barrel is also formed with an enlarged circular opening 33 arranged to receive the lower end of the main body position of sleeve II. on each side of bore 3| are smaller bores 34 which are smooth and which communicate at their lower ends with slot I4. In one of such slots, i. e., the one adjacent smooth flange 23 of the bobbin, there is disposed the braking means which may comprise plural pins 35 and 36 which are held in spaced relation by compression spring 31. The combined lengths of pins 35 and 36 and spring 31 when relieved of compression is greater than the length of either slot 34. Thus, when the bobbin is mounted in slot l4 for rotation on pin I the lower end of pin contacts flange 23;

Compression of the spring, and therefore braking action, is achieved by contact of lower wall-4| of sleeve H with the upper terminal of pin 36.

The pressure of pin 35 on flange 23 is thus variable. The bobbin holder is normally held in the right hand and during the winding operation the braking action may be varied by rotating sleeve I l with the left or right hand.

Sleeve H is knurled as shown at 4?. and such sleeve is further formed with a longitudinal end- ,to-end bore 43 which extends through upper shank portion 44. At its upper end the bore is threaded as at 45 and received lower threaded section 46 of tip it. This tip is of small diameter and has a longitudinal bore 50 of a diameter only slightly larger than that of thread 5| carried on the bobbin. By making this bore sufficiently small sidewise movement of the thread during the winding operation is largely eliminated. The tip is knurled at 52 to facilitate assembly. Both ends of the bore in the tip and the lower end of the bore in the sleeve are bell-mouthed to prevent sharp edges of the metal from injuring the thread. The lower end of the barrel is flat as shown at 54 in order to permit theholder to be placed upright on a flat surface during the winding operation While maintaining tension on the thread. 7 V

The sleeve ll need not be removed from the barrel except when it is necessary to move pins 35 and 36 from one bore to another. The thread 5| carried on the bobbin is first passed through bore 43 in the sleeve, the tip I2 having beenremoved. The thread may now be threaded through the tip and the latter mounted on the sleeve. Tension of the braking means may now be adjusted to suit conditions. The diameter of the tip being small, it will readily be guided around the delicate portions of the feather which is being attached to the hook and greater or less tension on the thread can be readily achieved by revolving sleeve H to barrel Hi.

When the bobbin holder of the present invention is used in the tying of fish flies, the hook isheld at the bend or at the point in a small vise. A few turns of silk are whipped around the shank, starting where the curve begins to straighten out and working towards the eye.

Tension may now be increased by rotating the sleeve. Some increase in braking action, and

therefore in tension, may be achieved by apply-- ing pressure of the finger to knurled edge 25.

The bobbin may now be hung from the hook or placed upon the table with the thread taut in order to free both hands for applying the feathers. With the feather held in place by one hand, the operator takes up the slack thread with his thumb on the knurl as he picks up the holder and diseases;

whips a few windings around the base of the feather. He then makes a knot whichinvolves pulling out slack and, after the knot is com-i pleted, taking it up again. This operation? is repeated after each feather is added. This ar-' rangement for taking up slack is very useful in other applications of the bobbin holder.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the bobbin holder of the present invention is compact and light in weight, that it enables the thread to be applied with a high order of accuracy, and that the task is accomplished with a minimum of fatigue.

While one form or embodiment of the invention has been shown and described herein for illustrative purposes, and the construction and arrangement incidental to a specific application thereof have been disclosed and discussed in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is limited neither to the mere details or relative arrangement of parts, nor to its specific'embodiment shown herein, but that extensive deviations from the illustrated form or embodiment of the invention may be made without departing from the principles thereof.

What we claim is:

1. A bobbin holder and thread guide comprising a barrel, a sleeve and a tip with detachable connecting means therebetween for mounting the same in axial alignment, such members hav-- ing a continuous bore extending therethrough for the thread, a bobbin, the barrel having a slot in which the bobbin is mounted for rotation, the section of the bore in the tip being of smaller diameter than the remaining sections of the bore, the barrel having a second longitudinal bore communicating at its lower end with said slot, a pin disposed in said bore, and variable elastic means for urging the pin against the bobbin to exert a braking action thereon.

2. A bobbin holder and thread guide comprising a barrel, a sleeve, and a tip of relatively small diameter, means for detachably mounting the members in axial alignment comprising interengaging threads, such members having a continuous bore extending therethrough for the thread, a bobbin provided with opposed annular flanges, the barrel being provided with means for mounting the bobbin for rotation, the barrel having a second longitudinal bore communicating at its lower end with said slot, a pin and a compression spring disposed in said bore, the pin being arranged to engage one of the flanges of the bobbin to exert a braking action on the bobbin, movement of the sleeve toward and away from thebarrel by rotating one member relative to the other varying the action of the spring on the pin. 3. A bobbin holder and thread guide comprising a barrel, a sleeve and a tip with threaded connecting means therebetween for mounting the" same in axial aligmnent, such members having a 7 barrel having a second longitudinal bore commu-' nicating at its lower end with said slot, spaced pins and a compression spring therebetween dis-' posed in said bore, the lower pin being arranged to engage one of the flanges of the bobbin to exert a braking action thereon, the upper pin being engaged by the sleeve to exert a predetermined pressure thereon as the sleeve is moved longitudinally relative to the barrel. 7

4 A thread guide and holder for winding ing flies and the like, and comprising a barrel, a sleeve and a tip with threaded connecting means therebetween for mounting the same in axial alignment, such members having a continuous bore extending therethrough for the thread, a bobbin provided with opposed flanges, one of which has a knurled periphery, the barrel having a slot at its lower end in which the bobbin is mounted for rotation, such lower end being substantially flat, the barrel having plural, eccentrically disposed longitudinal bores communicating at their lower end with said slot, spaced pins and a compression spring therebetween arranged to be disposed in one or the other of said bores, the lower pin being arranged to engage the nonknurled flange of the bobbin to exert a braking action thereon, the upper pin being engaged by the sleeve to exert a predetermined pressure thereon as the sleeve is moved longitudinally relative to the barrel by rotation of the threaded connection therebetween, the barrel having a recess adjacent the bobbin to permit manual rotation of the bobbin by the finger of the user.

5. A bobbin holder and thread guide for winding fishing flies and the like comprising a barrel, a sleeve and a tip with threaded connecting means therebetween for mounting the same in axial alignment, such members having a. continuous bore extending therethrough for tin thread, a bobbin having opposed flanges, the barrel having a slot in which the bobbin is received} and a removable bearing pin upon which the bobbin is mounted for rotation, the barrel having a second longitudinal bore communicating at its lower end with said slot, a pin disposed in said bore, and variable elastic means for urging the pin against a flange of the bobbin to exert a braking action thereon, the barrel having a side-wall recess adjacent the bobbin to permit manual rotation of the bobbin by the finger of the user.

COLLIER A. ELLIOTT.

RICHARD N. PALMER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

